He thought she was a teenage boy. On the one hand, this was what she had wanted. On the other hand, she couldn’t take a hit like a lanky male could.
Shit.
Ducking her head and hoping to hide her face, she mumbled out an apology. It could pass for a teenager’s squeaky, hormone laden tone, right?
“You look at your betters when they speak to you.” The Alpha moved in. Quinn squawked out a pained cry when a beefy hand grabbed hold of her hood and hair in a punishing grip and jerked her head back. The Alpha’s surprise was transient, a miniscule widening of dark brown eyes before they narrowed with predatory glee. Nostrils flared wide, seeking her scent through the foul odor of her clothes and the general stink of the city. “You’re no boy.”
“So good of you to notice,” Quinn said with a snarl. Slapping at the hand still tangled in worn cotton and pale strands of hair, she struggled to get free of the man and on her feet. Halfway up to dignity and a fully-fledged tirade about abusing people on the street, her legs crumpled and sent her back to the cold, wet sidewalk. Trembling with exhaustion and chilled to the bone, her reserves were depleted.
With a rumbling chuckle the Alpha crouched, invading her personal space with his scent and heat. People continued to stream past. A wide berth was given to the man and his apparent prey, nothing more than a sidelong glance given to Quinn and her predicament. This was so unfair!
“You seem to be in a hurry, little one.” He gave another rumbling sound from deep in his chest. While it wasn’t quite a growl to entice her, it wasn’t too far from it. Intentions made clear, he pushed the hood back from her face and fingered the damp curls revealed. “Perhaps I could give you a ride?”
Quinn opened her mouth to tell the male where he could shove it, only to shut it again with a snap of teeth. Standing over the crouched man was a Beta. Rich brown skin a stark contrast to the impeccable white of his shirt, the tailored lines of his black suit fit the surprising bulk of his frame like a glove. Unlike Jackson and some of the other Beta males at Wicked, this man didn’t seem unnatural in his bulk. It was as suited to him as the short goatee framing his full lips. The chilling glare in the dark umber eyes trained on the Alpha had words wasting to ash on her tongue.
“Miss, I wish you would have waited. You’re soaked and chilled to the bone,” the Beta said with gruff concern. With an ease she envied, he sidestepped the Alpha and boosted Quinn to a shaky upright position before either could protest. His hand at her elbow kept her there. “Come, I’ve the car waiting just over here.”
“And who the hell are you supposed to be?” The Alpha stood to an intimidating height and squared off with the strange Beta, his murky shadow skimming over Quinn and making her shiver.
“I’m her driver. Was there some issue here?” The Beta slipped his free hand into his jacket pocket, the warm ivory card snapped out towards the Alpha. “Please, take my employer’s card. I’m sure he’d be interested in what happened and offer compensation for any damages.”
The Beta turned and led her off, but not before Quinn saw the Alpha glance at the card and blanch. Deciding in favor of discretion for the moment, she let the Beta take her across the street to the parked sedan that had been following her. Not only had she been right, but the lead feeling in the pit of her stomach was telling her she was in a lot more trouble now than she had been with just the Alpha to contend with.
“Listen,” Quinn began in a quiet hiss, trying not to make a scene just yet. “I appreciate the save, I do, but I’ve had more than enough manhandling. So, you’re going to let me the fuck go, and I’ll be on my way. And you can stop fucking following me, too.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option.” He reached out and opened the back door. Giving a small nod towards the too familiar interior, he made it clear what he expected.
There was no way it was possible. It was just a similar car. That was all it was. This was not the same vehicle that had driven her home. Just because her fingers itched with the memory of the stitched charcoal leather still meant nothing. Not even with the spicy musk of the Alpha that seemed burned into her senses laced with her own sweetness swirling from inside through the updrafts of exhaust.
“This isn’t Mr. Rey’s car.” It was a statement and a weak one at that. It had surprised her to see an actual car and not a cab the previous night, but she had somehow convinced herself Mr. Rey had loaned his own transportation for the purpose. Not that she’d ever seen his car, or that there had been any reason for him to do such a thing for a dancer he was firing. But it would have made sense. More sense than the idea that the male who had used her had left a safe way home for her.
“It is not. Please get in, Miss. It’s going to start raining again soon.”
“I’m not getting in there.”
“Miss, either you get in and I can drive you in comfort back to your apartment or I follow you while you catch your death. I might add that my employer will not thank either of us for the latter.”
“I don’t give two shits about him! He assaulted me and almost cost me my job.”
“It’s my understanding he saved your job.” The Beta sniffed, the pinch of his lips suggesting something sour. His dark gaze flicked to the side, drawing her attention back to the car. “Get in, Miss.”
“No.” Quinn jerked her arm free and cursed a violet streak as she stumbled straight into the gutter. Cheeks warm with embarrassment as her shoes filled with murky water, she strained towards some level of dignity. Sneakers sloshing and slapping against the pavement, she cut across the street to resume her trek.
As if the Beta’s words had been a promise, the sky split open again the minute she reached the opposite side.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Rey,” Quinn said as she hiked the clothes basket higher on her hip and continued up the stairs. The last hour had been spent doing laundry and her already straining legs were crying out in protest of so much abuse.
“Seven to ten days.” There was no mistaking the grumbling anger in his tone.
“I understand if you need to fire me—”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to, kid.”
Hating the rush of relief that gave her and just as unable to stop it, Quinn hunched her shoulders and soldiered on. “I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you, Mr. Rey.”
“Ah, honey,” Mr. Rey said before giving a throaty chuckle that was anything but chaste. “Don’t go making promises you can’t keep. Just call me when you can come back in.”
“Okay. I really am so sorry about everything.”
